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SMTB Part 2: Puppet Girl's Thesis on Love
THE VELVET ROOM TIME UNDETERMINED Farquhar sat at his desk, scribbling something in his notes. Then, he got a notification on his phone. It was from Rosemary. I have a report to give. He answered her back. Excellent. Can you give me the subject? I have been conducting research on the true nature of love. Curious. So, what have you found? He awaited a response. --- AUGUST 23, 2019 KARAKURA TOWN, JAPAN The doors of the train car opened, and Rin stepped out. As she walked towards the exit, she felt a familiar presence. "I see you have been keeping well." She turned to where the voice came from. Standing up against a pillar, reading a newspaper bearing a headline pertaining to an imminent eclipse, was Farquhar. "I see you like to keep up a brand." He motioned towards her shirt, which bore a stylized image of an apple wearing sunglasses. "Love what you've done with your hair, also." "What do you want?" "Just checking in on my favorite Fool." "You keep calling me that, are you trying to insult me?" "Oh, far from it. I refer to this." He took out a tarot card which bore an image of a jester, that read "The Fool". "Although, it would seem to be more than just one now..." He motioned, and two more cards emerged from behind The Fool. One bore an image of a man standing alongside two women, with what appeared to be Cupid aiming an arrow towards one of the women. It read "The Lovers". The second one showed a man hanging upside down from a tree branch. It read "The Hanged Man." Rin was confused for a moment, but after some thought came to understand. Tenko and Shūjo. "These represent the bonds you have forged along your path." "OK. Did you just come to play a card game or something?" "How is my Rosemary doing?" "Rosie? Uhhh...hard to tell, really. She's not exactly easy to read." "Hmm...that is not surprising. It's not her fault. I raised her in a sterile environment free from most outside influences." He was playing around with another card, this one featuring a regal-looking woman. It read "The High Priestess". "I agreed to let her go on this venture because I want her to experience what the real world truly is. I can imagine that these experiences and emotions must feel alien to her. She isn't a robot, simply learning as she goes. Give her time, I'm sure she will learn much from you and your friends." "Who are you, exactly?" "Just an inquisitive fellow. Nothing more, and nothing less." Rin turned to leave. "Where are you going, exactly?" "I'm visiting someone." "Well, send Rosemary all of my love when you return home. Perhaps she can help you work through your issues regarding your bandages." Rin's eyes widened, and she turned back, but Farquhar had already vanished. "How did he...ugh. Creepy." She walked away. --- NARUKI CITY, JAPAN "Come on, at least listen to my--" The door shut. As it has so many times before. It had been days since Jin had gotten any positive response. He knew his pitch was lacking. And he knew it was getting worse. Less people were listening. How could they? Everyone either already owned the cable service he was peddling, or were satisfied with their own. His boss was getting on about his lack of results. But still, they shuffled him out there. Exhaustion was building. Now that school had started, the added stress of walking around the city pushing cable was starting to take its toll. But he knew that if there was no sale, there would be no pay. He hated this. But he felt it would work out in the end. It had to. He needed it to. For her. Even if she couldn't stand it. So he persisted. Only seven more hours of this to go. --- NARUKI ASCENSION ACADEMY "OK, Rosie, you all ready for some adventure?" asked Tenko. "I...believe so." Rose answered. "Umm, while wearing that?" Rose was still wearing her school uniform. "Is there something wrong?" "Just, you know, we're not headed to class. Kind of don't need to go with the uni." "Apologies. I do not have any other clothes." "Wait, seriously? You don't have anything other than uniforms? Hold on...did you sleep in that thing?!" "Is that also a problem?" "Oh dear GOD. Alright, first stop is the closest clothing palace we can find." The girls left their room. "Oy." Shūjo and Hiyoko approached. "Um, Rose, you do know that there's no school today, yes?" Hiyoko asked. "Our little fashion disaster here doesn't have any other clothes. So we're gonna go fix that after our meal." said Tenko. "Rin not coming with?" asked Shūjo. "Nope. She had some personal stuff to take care of, so it's just gonna be the Fearsome Foursome today." Suddenly, the door opened. Kyōshinja walked through, with a nervous look on his face. "This guy--!" growled Shūjo. "What is it now, cretin?" Hiyoko demanded. Then, Kyōshinja dropped to his knees. "Please...forgive me!" "Wha--?!" "I have done you so much harm. I've nearly cost you your life. I can't live with myself anymore. I'm turning myself in to the police and confessing everything. But before I go, I needed you to know how horrible I feel about all of this. I know that what I've done is unforgivable. If you hate me forever, that's fine, I deserve it. I just...needed you to know...how sorry I am..." He got up, and lurched away. The group was stunned. "What...just happened?" Hiyoko asked. "He seemed like...a totally different person..." added Tenko. Rose kept quiet. Shortly after, the group departed. They first ventured to the Yamada café. They got their meals and sat at a table. "So, Rosie..." began Tenko. "You said you had some things you wanted to ask?" "Oh, yes...I have already spoken about my desire to better understand human emotion. There is one emotion in particular that I am curious about, that even in my readings I don't fully understand..." "Would you all...teach me what love is?" The three looked surprised. "You want us...to tell you about love?" asked Shūjo. "I know this is a bizarre request, but my research has been so varied that I cannot find one definitive answer." "Well, I mean...there really isn't one." said Hiyoko. "The most basic thing I can say is that it's an attraction to something. It could be to a kind of food, or a hobby, or to another person. I guess...it's like wanting really hard to keep something safe." "I see...so Shūjo, is what you feel towards Hiyoko love?" Shūjo was shocked by this. "Guh?! Where'd that come from?!" "You appeared enraged by any implication that she could be harmed. And you kept watch over her last night." "Well, yeah, of course...that's just me being protective..." He started turning red. Hiyoko started look flustered too. "I-I guess that friendship can be a form of love." she stuttered. "I feel like I am understanding a bit better, but...would you all be able to provide a visual?" Rose asked. "A visual, for love? Hmm..." said Shūjo. "I...don't know what it would look like." said Tenko. "It's just one of those things, you'd know it when you saw it." "In any case, how about we get to work on that wardrobe?" Tenko asked. "Hmm. I suppose so." said Rose. She felt as if Tenko was trying to dodge the subject, as if she knew where it would lead. Still, she said nothing. They left, and went to the closest designer clothing shop. "OK, now where to begin...?" Tenko pondered. "I honestly don't mind. Except...it needs to be velvet." said Rose. "Guess that's just your signature, huh?" Shūjo quipped. Tenko began hurriedly gathering clothing options. "OK! I couldn't find a lot of velvet but I grabbed some purple and blue. Let's see how they look." "Very well." Rose started to take off her uniform. "HOLY SHIT!" exclaimed Shūjo. "Dressing room, silly, dressing room!" said a panicked Hiyoko. They ushered Rose into the dressing room. She cycled through the clothes, with the other three either giving a yea or nay response. The final outfit was a velvet sundress with accompanying images of flowers on the bottom. "Cuuuuuute." said Tenko. Rose looked in the mirror. "So, whaddya think?" Hiyoko asked. "I find this...very appealing. It fills me with...a sort of happiness. It's strange...since I met you all, I have experienced things I've never experienced before. I'm unsure how I'm supposed to react to it all..." "Well, we can always help out with that. It's what friends are for, after all." said Tenko. "Friends...yes. You're right. Thank you." Rose smiled as she said this. "Hunh. First I've seen that." quipped Shūjo. After scouring through several more shops, the girls returned home. "You should be all set for now, Rosie. No more sleeping in your uniform or anything like that." said Tenko. "Thank you, Tenko. Today was...very enlightening for me. Although...perhaps too much of it was spent with that puppy..." "You can never spend too much time with a puppy." Tenko looked at her phone. "Hunh. Rin-Rin just texted me. Said she's gonna stay over with her mom for the night and be back tomorrow. Aww, was looking forward to some more personal time..." "Well anyway, it's getting a bit dark. How about we go grab some dinner?" "I would like that." "Great! Oh, grab an umbrella before we go. It's supposed to start raining in a while." The girls got their dinner, and as they returned home it did indeed start to rain. They arrived back at the school. As they walked towards the dorm, they noticed what appeared to be someone laying down on a bench. "Who would be laying on a bench like that at this hour, with this weather?" Rose asked. "Probably drunk off their ass. Only thing I can come up with." As they got closer, Tenko's eyes widened. She knew exactly who it was. "Jin...?" Sure enough, despite the rain pouring down, Jin was fast asleep on the bench. He was still in his work uniform. Tenko wordlessly approached, and put her umbrella up in a way that shielded him the most from the rain. "Why...?" She checked to see if he was breathing. He was. Rose looked on. "Tenko..." "...I'm not leaving him here. Rosie. Help me out." She directed Rose to help lift up Jin. "Do not worry about me. I can lift him. Just keep him dry." said Rose. The girls carried the still-unconscious Jin to the boys' dorm. Tenko sifted through his pocket, and found his room key. She opened the door, and they carried Jin to his bed. Rose looked around the room. Plenty of gaming and anime collectables. "He always was a bit of a hoarder..." Tenko commented. Rose looked and saw a gaming console on the ground. "It looks like it hasn't been used in quite a while." Tenko was looking at Jin. "Why do this to yourself, Jin..." She stayed silent for a moment. "Rosie. Get me some clothes from in there. I'm not leaving him in wet clothing." "Is changing him while he's asleep alright?" "I'm. Not. Leaving. Him. Like. This." Sensing her growing frustration, Rose complied. After a while, the girls left the dormroom. Silence for a moment. "...you need not feel guilty about leaving. You did as much for him as reason will allow. You went beyond, in some ways." Tenko was silent. Then, the tears began to fall. "I can't...I can't take this any more. Does he not care about himself at all...? Why would he keep this up?" Rose was surprised by this. "It hurts...it hurts seeing him like this. I've been at this for so long, but...I can't help him if he doesn't want to help himself..." Rose approached her, and slowly embraced her in a hug. "In my research, I was told that this is the natural response to seeing a friend in pain. Because it does hurt...it hurts me that this hurts you. And I want to make it stop hurting." "Oh, Rosie...thank you. I'm sorry, this was supposed to be the fun day. And I've gone and ended it on a sour note." "You don't need to apologize. In fact, I should be thanking you." "Huh? For what?" "For giving me the visual I wanted. You just dragged someone in from the pouring rain, because it hurts you to see them hurt. If that isn't the definition of love, I don't know what is." Tenko was taken aback, but then gave a sheepish smile through the tears. "Heh...I guess so..." The girls returned to their room. "Hey, Rosie..." "Hm? What is it?" "When Rin-Rin comes home tomorrow, I want us to do something. I can't go on...like this. Jin isn't going to stop himself until he drops dead. And I can't let that happen. So, what I'm asking is..." "I want us to do it. I want us...to change Jin's heart. Because if we don't...I'm afraid of what might happen." Inside his room, Jin had awoken. He held a note in his hand. "Jin, I'm not giving up on you. And you shouldn't either. Please. - Tenko" Jin sighed. And then, he wept. --- EARLIER IN THE DAY KARAKURA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS Rin sat in a room full of small tables. The place was dull and drab, unsurprising given its nature as a prison. She sat patiently, and fiddled with her necklace. Then, an officer brought in who she had come to see. Walking in was an imposing man with dark hair tied into a ponytail, and a goatee, with tribal-style tattoos across his arms. His prison jumpsuit was dull grey, with his inmate number reading "100504". The man, who was not wearing handcuffs, sat across from Rin. The two stared each other down for over a minute, unblinking. Then, the man blinked. "Dammit to hell!" he griped. "Heh. Soft as ever, Hyōtan." Rin said. "That's some freaky shit, sis." Hyōtan said back. They got up and embraced in a hug. "Oh my God, you changed your hair back." he said. "Yeah, well, you know." "It looks great. Never liked it brown anyway." "So, what's new? Mama doing good?" "Mama's doing...better. She puts all her time into the shop but, fruit can only do so much." "Yeah, I got you. You got into Toh's school, right? How's that goin'?" "Alright so far. Only been a few days but I've already made some friends." "Awesome, awesome. Saw your entry in that writing contest in the paper they brought in. You're seriously somethin' else. Showed all the guys here and everything. Baby sis has talent, man." "Oh, stop. Kissing up won't count towards good behavior." "I mean it, sis. That shit can take you places. I keep telling everyone, Toh got the brains, I got the looks. You got both." "I think you're exaggerating on two of the three, Tan." "So, just a couple more months now, right?" "Yeah. Got the date circled and all that. Three years go by quick." "I know Mama's gonna be thrilled to have you home. I'm gonna stop by the house on the way back. I know the days get harder for her. Especially now it's getting close to a year since...well, you know." "Yeah. They still haven't caught the son of a bitch, right?" "Nope. I'm trying to get to the bottom of it at school. Just don't know where to start." "Eh, you'll figure it out. Anyone's got the brains and hard head to do it, it's you." "Thanks, Tan. All I can do is try." After some more talk, they hugged each other goodbye. "Seriously, though. Soon as I'm out, I'm taking the staring contest." "Yeah, sure. Day that happens is the day people stop being dumb on the internet." Tan shrugged. "Miracles happen." They said their goodbyes, and Rin left. As she waited for the train, Rin began messaging Tenko. Yo. Gonna swing by home first. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Tenko at first responded with a simple "OK, no problem". However, after boarding the train, Rin received another message. Try to come early. I want to talk about something. It's about Jin. Rin grew concerned. Did something happen? Tenko responded quickly. It might. Rin let out a sigh. "Never a dull moment..." she said to herself. --- 3 YEARS AGO HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO PREFECTURE "Woof. That didn't go according to plan, did it?" Jin and Tenko were sitting on a bench. It was late, and Tenko had a dejected look on her face. "No. It didn't. I was sloppy." "Don't get too hard on yourself. You just had an off night, that's all." "Well if I want to make Ascension's fencing team I can't afford an off night." "Listen, Tenko." Jin began. "You work your butt off more than anyone else I know. Ascension would be dumb to not see that. One loss isn't the end of the world. If anything it'll help you get better. My old man's got this saying, about how 'within every adversity lies the seed of an equal or greater benefit'." "Sounds like an old man thing to say..." "What it means is, you take what you learned from this and use it to get better. Do that and you'll be invincible! Or something like that." Tenko chuckled at this. "You don't sound too confident about that last bit. But, thanks, Jin. I feel a bit better now." "Good to hear. Besides, you've got a way better shot at getting into that school than me. I just game all day." "Don't sell yourself so short. You work your butt off in school, too." A car pulled up. "Oh, there's my ride. Hey, thanks again, Jin." "Anytime. We still up for that festival tomorrow?" "You know it! And this time you're gonna know what it's like to lose at that ping pong game!" "Heh, that'll be the day. I might have to turn in my gaming creds if that happened." Tenko waved goodbye. Jin smiled and waved back. --- AUGUST 24, 2019 NARUKI ASCENSION ACADEMY Jin lay on his bed. He stared at a picture of him and Tenko at the festival three years prior, big smiles on their faces. "How'd I let it go so south?" he said to himself. --- Rin opened the door to her dormroom. Tenko, Rose and Shūjo were inside. "Huh? JoJo, you're here too?" she asked. "Yep. Tenko said it was urgent so, here I am." he answered. "OK. Tenko, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Tenko took a moment to answer. "Since we cleared that scumbag's heart, I've been thinking of something. That if we could do that for some common moron, then maybe we could..." She hesitated. "You want us...to help Jin, right?" Rin asked. "...I know he doesn't want this. He can't want this. But he doesn't know how to change this by himself. So...I don't think there's any other choice. We have to, for his sake. Because I don't know..." Tears began to form. "I don't know how much longer he can keep on like this. He's suffering. And I'm suffering watching him suffer. I'm all out of other ideas. So I asked Rose if it was alright..." "I checked my tracking systems. Jin does indeed have a Palace. I wanted to check with you to make sure you were fine with going through one so soon after the last." Rose said. "You kidding? From the sound of it we don't have any option but to do it. Time isn't an issue for me." said Rin. "Ditto. Least we can do to help." Shūjo added. "Thanks guys. Sorry to just drop this on you all. One more thing...it has to be today. All of it. Sunday is his only day off. And I don't want him spending another minute in that place. So...we good to go, or what?" Everyone nodded. "Let us proceed, then." said Rose. She pressed the button, and the doorway opened. "We'll make you see, Jin. One way or another." Tenko affirmed. They entered the door. On the other side, they stood in front of a large, dilapidated building surrounded by a chain link fence. A wooden sign on the front gate read "Sanctuary". "'Sanctuary'? Place looks like a damned prison to me." said Shūjo. They approached the front door, and noticed the words "Keep Out, Dead Inside" graffitied on the front. "Yeah that isn't foreboding or anything." Rin quipped. Rose peered through a nearby window. "What on Earth...?" On the other side, she could see human-like, shadowy figures lurching around slowly. They were all wearing business attire. "Are those...revenants?" she questioned. "Revawhatnow?" Shūjo asked. "Zombies, genius. Zombies wearing business suits. Don't need a psychology degree to figure out what that's supposed to symbolize." said Rin. "How many do you see?" Tenko asked. "Five from the look of it. All moving slowly. If we strategize for a moment maybe we could--" Shūjo proceeded to tear the door open and ran inside, Rin following behind. "Or do that. We could also do that." said Rose. The four engaged the zombies, immobilizing them by attacking their heads, and proceeded further into the building. As they ventured further, they noticed several TV screens broadcasting disturbing messages. "Give yourself over to the business!" "Business requires sacrifice!" "9 to 5ers lack ambition!" "Who needs money now? You'll be swimming in it down the line!" "Christ, this is agitating." Shūjo griped. "Is this really what they've been feeding him?" Rin added. They reached a large open area, with one giant door in the middle labeled "CEO'S OFFICE", while another pathway out was labelled "Cell Block: Where Individuality Goes to Die". The broadcasts started changing their message. "Look at little Jin Mirai. He'll never cut it." "Useless results from a useless sack." "Idiot doesn't realize if he isn't tired, he's not doing it right." "So we're either getting propaganda bullshit speak or shit insulting Jin. Isn't this supposed to be his world?" Shūjo questioned. "This is his cognition, how he perceives the world around him. Maybe...he truly thinks this about himself." Rose answered. "If that's the case, he's even more fucked in the head than I thought." Tenko, meanwhile, was trying to pry the door open, to no avail. "My guess, that's where the distortion in this place comes from. Meaning we won't be able to open it by force." said Rin. "Guess we've only got one option." She pointed towards the cell block, and they proceeded forward. The cells were all empty. "Place calls itself Sanctuary and it looks like this. I'm getting more creeped out by the minute." said Shūjo. Then, the silence was broken by the sound of whistling. Surprised, the four approached the cell where the whistling came from. "Well, well, well...look who decided to pay me a visit." Inside the cell, eyes glowing yellow, was Jin. He was wearing a dark leather jacket, dark pants and boots, and a red neckerchief. "Hey, all." he said with a distorted voice. "Jin!" shouted Tenko. "Wait...look at the eyes. That isn't him. Not the one we know, anyway." said Rin. "The hell are you doing in a cell?" asked Shūjo. "What's it look like, genius? I'm serving time. For crimes of individuality. This is what happens when you don't agree to become one of those stumbling corpses." "This is your world, Jin. You could just leave whenever you wanted." said Rose. "Oh, I know that. I just don't see a point in it." "You...don't see a point in leaving?" Tenko asked. "Either way, it's not gonna do me any good. I'm a dead man walking. Whether I leave this cage is irrelevant." "What do you mean you're a dead man walking?" Tenko asked. "I mean what I mean, Tenko-chan. This might come as a surprise, but the human body wasn't built for this level of overworking. And with the added stress of school and the lack of sleep, I'd give it, oh...three days, four tops before my body gives out. After that...poof." "'Poof'. You think this is some kind of joke, Jin?" "Do you see me laughing?" "Then you know what a problem this is. I've seen how this place looks, Jin. I know that you know this is all lies, all something built to tear you down. I don't care if you hate me now, I need you to listen to me." The Shadow perked up at this. "Hate you? You? What do you think I'm sticking through this crap for?" "What are you talking about?" "Let's see...how's this sound? 'This job is gonna lead to so many open doors for me. I'll be set for life, and I could do anything. Ma won't have to worry about paying for Aimi's schooling, cuz big bro's gonna make it happen. And then...then Tenko-chan won't have to worry about me. Then I can take care of her the way she's taken care of me all these years. I don't get why she hates this so much...I'm doing it for her. I need to see this through, even if it costs me my life...'" Tenko's eyes widened. "You can't be serious...you're willing to have yourself drop dead if there's even a slight chance that it could work out?" The Shadow suddenly appeared outside the cell. "Like I said, it makes no difference. And if I drop dead from this, then so be it. Wouldn't be the first time someone in Japan worked themselves to death. And then everyone could just move on and forget about it." Now showing irritation, Rin walked over to the Shadow and slapped him across the face. "God damn!" he griped. "You fucking idiot! Do you even hear the garbage you're saying? It would just be so easy for you to roll over and die, right? But you think no one would care? This girl, right here, has done nothing but show how much she cares, how awful this whole thing makes her feel. And then you have the balls to tell her you don't care if you live. You even realize what loss feels like? I had to see my dad and brother die, and not a day goes by where I don't think about it. That shit sticks with you, and it'll stick with her forever if you die. If you care about her so damn much, maybe you'd realize that instead of moping in a cell waiting to die." The Shadow paused for a moment. "You think I don't realize that?" "Huh?" said a surprised Rin. "I know, everything I've said up to this point is pure bull. But see, I'm not the me you need to convince. I'm not the me that needs the reminder that he has something to live for. You know what needs to be done. And it's gotta be done quick. Otherwise? I'm the one who's gonna be done." Suddenly, moaning noises sounded from around the hall. "We have to go. We'll send the alert when we get back. Come on." said Rose. They ran to leave. Tenko turned around to the downtrodden Shadow, before turning back and leaving. "Hurry back, Tenko-chan. And bring your shittin' pants with ya." he uttered. The group returned to the real world. "That...that was bad." said Shūjo. "We need to hurry. Ringo, can you begin on the alert?" Rose asked. "Way ahead of you. I've been working on it in my head since we got there. Give me a few minutes. How are we gonna get this to Jin?" "I'll do it." Tenko answered. "It has to be me. If there's any chance left of convincing him here, then it has to be me. Please." "Very well. Let us proceed, posthaste." A few minutes later, Rin walked back in with a letter. "Here ya go. Let's hope this works." Tenko ran off with the letter. She arrived at Jin's dormroom, and knocked on his door. He opened it. "Tenko-chan...?" She put the letter forward. "I don't want to hear any more objections. No arguments. I don't want you to suffer any more for my sake, Jin. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. So just, read this. Please." He took the letter. Before he could respond, she pulled him into a hug. "You don't need to hide anything anymore. I said I'd keep you safe, and I meant it. I love you, Jin." She began to walk away. "Goodbye, Jin. I hope...not for the last time." After she left, Jin opened the letter. Jin Mirai, you have been deemed guilty of committing the sin of sloth. As a result of your inaction, you and those close to you have been made to suffer for the sake of an impossible lie. For your sake and those around you, we have resolved to clean your soul without fail. - The Shinigami Order "What...the hell is this? Shinigami...? I..." Jin looked in the mirror. "What have I done...?" As he looked, the eyes in his reflection turned yellow, and he reeled in surprise. "Wha--?!" Suddenly, a hand reached through the mirror and pulled him inside. He landed inside a jail cell. "What the...where am I?" His Shadow approached him. "You and me need to have a serious man-to-man talk here, Jin." By this point, the group had returned to the Palace, and stood in front of the CEO door. When they pulled, it opened. When they entered, the room was massive, and held what looked to be a massive office desk. "Can someone say 'overcompensating'"? Shūjo quipped. Suddenly, from behind the desk, a huge, demonic figure wearing a business suit emerged. "Hnnh...I don't recall having any appointments today." it said with a booming voice. "We're serving you an eviction notice, freak." Shūjo said. "Oh, dear. More free thinkers walking around. Can't have that, can we?" The demon pressed a button, and a sea of zombies manifested in front of the desk. "Our policies are all-consuming, I'm afraid. And anyone who violates those policies will...well, be consumed." Tenko stepped forward. "I've had just about enough of this shit. Get out of Jin's heart, now!" "And who might you be? His little girlfriend, perhaps?" "And what difference would that make if I was?" "Hmm, a pity then. Just another distraction from his work. No wonder his work has been slipping lately. Aside from him being utterly useless, of course." "Shut up! You're gonna regret those words, freak." "I would love to see you try." The demon snapped his fingers, and the zombies lurched forward. In the prison cell, Jin observed this on a TV screen. "Like what you're seeing, Jin?" his Shadow asked. "I'm sure this'll do wonders for the old guilt complex." "I...I don't understand any of this. Why is this happening?" "You know damn well why this is happening, Jin. You're so hell bent on proving that you can do this that you haven't stopped to wonder if it's a thing worth doing. Your friends realized that already, and now they're trying to clean up the mess you made." "Jin. Why aren't you angry?" "Huh?" "The sight you're seeing should fill you with rage, yet all I see is dumbfounded staring. That complacency and lack of action is what got you in this mess in the first place. Jin...when are you gonna grow up? This is the girl you love. And she's risking her ass to save yours, again. Instead of rejecting her help, you need to be man enough to accept it. Knowing when you need others and respecting their feelings is what being an adult is all about. You know I'm right, Jin." Jin was silent. "You're...you're right. All this has been is long hours and empty promises. And I was so blinded by it all, I never even realized it. There's no light at the end of the tunnel, no pot of gold at the end of the shit rainbow. Just more suffering for me and the people I love...Tenko. How could I turn on her like that? I wanted this to work so she wouldn't need to worry anymore. But it just gave her more grief. I'm such a screwup...I don't deserve the chances I've been given." "Why aren't you angry, Jin? Why aren't you angry?" "I...am." "Atta boy. Let's go make this right." The Shadow closed his eyes, and disappeared. Jin's eyes widened, and he fell down, clutching his head. False hope clouded your heart, and denied you that which was important. So, will you die as you believed you would? Or will you break from your chains and take your revenge? "You know my answer. I won't waver anymore." Good. Then let us proceed with the contract at once. The pain increased, to the point where Jin began digging into the ground, leaving deep scratch marks as a result. I am thou, thou art I...the fog of deception has lifted. That which has held thee still has been swept away. The chains that bound you to a fruitless desire...shall be thy blade henceforth! Jin clenched his teeth, opened his yellowed eyes, and let out a primal howl, before being engulfed by blue flame. In the office room, the group were slowly being overwhelmed by the zombie hoard. "There's no end to these damn things!" yelled Shūjo. Tenko held them back with her shield, but the sheer amount of undead was beginning to break the shield away. "Dammit, this can't be it...not like this..." "You see this now? See what trying to aid that lump has brought you? There's nothing more you can--" Just then, the door slammed open. A figure stood there, and raised his hand to summon forth a spirit. What appeared before the zombie hoard was a blue spiritual dog-like humanoid covered in Egyptian cloths and hieroglyphs, carrying a scale. "Do your thing, Anubis." said the figure. The spirit complied, its eyes began to glow, and a wall of ice spikes jutted up, destroying several zombies and blocking off the rest. The figure leapt above the group, and landed behind the spirit. He was wearing a tattered, black and red hooded cloak, with an image of a stylized wolf on the back. He carried a chain with him, with both ends of it ending with a spiked, fang-like edge. He removed his hood, and turned to the group. "Yo." Jin said with a smirk. "Jin...!" uttered a surprised Tenko. He walked over to her. "It's alright. I don't have any more burdens. Not by work, not by stress, not anything. I'm finally free! This is the real me!" "A Persona...? How...?" He clasped her hand. "I don't have any reason to be afraid, Tenko. What's the point of a dream that keeps you from what's really important? That's no path I want to follow. Thank you, Tenko. Thank you for never giving up on me. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I love you, Tenko." "...huh...?" she responded, dumbfounded. The ice wall began to crack, and a zombie emerged. Without turning, Jin fired his chain at its head, destroying it. "'Scuse me for one second." Taking on a maddened grin, Jin leapt over the ice wall, landing in front of the hoard, sending several flying. "Who here wants to die again first?!" he growled. Using his chain and Persona, Jin began tearing through the zombies, laughing wildly as he did. "Eat your heart out, Simon Belmont! This is how you use a damned chain!" The group stood speechless. "That dude...is scary." said Rin. "Ah, let him vent. Dude's probably had it built up for a while. Probably wouldn't hurt to help him out though." Shūjo retorted. The demon grew angrier. "Free-thinking commoner...enough with your insolence!" He fired a beam of fire from his fingertip towards Jin. Tenko jumped in front and blocked the attack. "Tenko!" "Stupid! I don't have to worry about you anymore? That ain't gonna happen. Even with that power of yours, you're still gonna need my help. And I'll be there to give it. That's...that's how this love thing works." Jin smirked. "Heh. Got me there." "Yo, boss man. I've come to deliver my resignation notice. Up close and personal like!" Jin jumped up, used his chain to grab one of the demon's horns, and propelled himself upward. He dove into the demon's mouth, giving the monster the middle finger as he went inside. "Is he nuts?!" yelled Rin. Soon, the demon began reacting poorly, as it became clear that something was trying to break from his stomach. Jin came bursting through, falling to the floor as the demon collapsed. Shūjo caught Jin before he hit the ground. "...can we do that again...?" uttered Jin. The Palace began to shake. "I think that's our cue to leave." said Rin. "Rosie, get us out of here!" yelled Shūjo. "Let's go home, Jin." said Tenko, a satisfied smile on her face. The group made their escape. Soon after, the group stood outside Jin's dormroom. Tenko stepped out. "How is he?" Rin asked. "Well, he just asked me what dinner was gonna be. So, I'd say he's gonna be OK. He says he wants to talk." The group walked in. Jin sat on his bed. "Hey, all. Heck of a day, huh?" he said with a nervous smile. "I'd say as much, jackass." Shūjo retorted. "Heh, probably earned that one." Jin said. "I, uh...just wanted to apologize for all the craziness. I never wanted to put anyone in danger. I seriously thought it'd all work out in the end but...guess I was just lying to myself. I was about to kill myself over a vision I knew deep down was BS. I never even saw a cent for all that walking around I was doing. I just...wanted to apologize." "Not us you should be apologizing to." Rin said. She moved her eyes in Tenko's direction. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've already said sorry 10 times since I got back." "Won't have to say it again if you get me that puppy I've been asking for..." said Tenko with a cheeky grin. "Don't push it." Jin retorted, now blushing. "So, you're Rin, right? I don't think I ever really introduced myself outside of...well, whatever you'd call what just happened. Thanks for helping Tenko out." "Don't worry about it. It's what a friend does. Just don't ever make her worry like that again, deal?" "Deal. And I'm gonna guess that you're Rose, yeah?" "Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you in a manner not involving dragging your unconscious form out of the rain." "Huh?" "I'll fill you in later." Tenko said. They walked outside. "Hey, if it's no problem I think I'm gonna keep an eye on him tonight. I brought my uniform over." said Tenko. Rin raised her eyebrow and took on a cheeky grin. "Nothing like that! Jeeeez." Tenko said blushing. "If you say so. See you in class tomorrow then." She peered into the room. "Oy, Jin! No funny business, you hear?!" "N-no way! My mom would kill me!" he said sheepishly. "Hehe. Bye, lovebirds~." She trotted away, avoiding a playful swipe from Tenko. As they walked, Rose paused for a moment. Something Rin had said in the Palace had caught her attention. I had to watch my dad and brother die. "Curious..." Rose said to herself. She continued walking.